Pressing machine pad



Oct. 6, 193i, c. E. GALVIN PRESSING MACHINE PAD Filed Nov. 5, 1927 sonesses and difierent widths.

a round, triangular, or the like.

Patented a. 6, 1931 UNITED STATES CHARLES E. GALVIN, OI SPRINGFIELD,OHIO PRESSING MACHINE PAD Application filed November 5, 1927. Serial No.231,382.

My invention relates to textiles, more particularly to a flexiblemetallic fabric, and the method of manufacturing the same.

The present invention pertains to fabric ,composed of metallic fibers orstrands, known generally in the trade as steel wool, which in thepresent instance, is arranged in a thin fiat layer or stratum. -Whilethe steel wool or metallic fibers comprising the fabric may be matted ortangled as is usual in bodies of such product, the steel wool materialis preferably of a long strand character wherein the strands extend insubstantially parallel relation and are for the most part continuousthroughout the length of a given section of the fabric. Such strandscomprise the warp. Transverse tie strands of flexible wire of lightgauge forming the woof, are arranged transversely of the metallic fibersor steel wool an strands with which they are interengaged or interwovento maintain the shape, proportions and thickness of the body of steelwool fabric. Such transverse strands are preferably, though notnecessarily, incorporated in the bod of steel wool by sewing 0rstitching the pre ormed layer or stratum of steel wool. A form of lockstitch is preferably, though not necessarily, employed.

Such fabric may be made of varying thick- It finds a wide field ofusefulness for industrial purposes, as for filtering or straining liquidmaterial, or as a diifusin screen especially under conditions of bigtemperature. One of the present applications of the material is as apressing pad and steam and heat diffusing screen, in garment pressingmachines, ironing machines, and the like. The present product isapplicable to many purposes in the industrial art, of which theforegoing are merely suggestive. While, for illustrative purposes, theproduct is shown as a comparatively thin flat flexible fabricof steelwool, it is obvious that the shape and proportions of the steel woolfabric may bevariedto meet difi'erent conditions of usage by making itof greater thickness in proportion to its width or in forming it lntobelts or hands of various cross-sectional contours, as rectangular,

The object of the invention is to provide as a new article ofmanufacture flexible metallic fabric composed of metallic fibers orstrands commonly known as steel wool, arranged and secured in a body ofsubstantially permanent sha e.

A further 0 ject of the invention is to provide a method of uniting andsecuring a body of steel wool into predetermined shape.

With the above primary and other incidental objects in view, as willmore fully appear in the specification, the invention consists of thefeatures ofconstruction, the parts and combinations thereof, and themode of operation, or their equivalents, as hereinafter described andset forth in the'claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective view ofa portion of the flexible metallic fabric forming the subject matterhereof. Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse sectional view, showing therelation of the transverse tie strands or stitching to thelongitudinally disposed metallic'fibers. Fig. 3 is a perspective viewshowing the application of the present metallic fabric to the pressingbuck of a conventional garment pressing machine. Fig. 4 is an enlargedfragmentary View of the fabric.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughoutthe several views. V

Steel wool is a fibrous metallic product, formed by stripping orscraping from metal rods or Wires fine thread-like strands or fibers.These strands or fibers are roduced in various grades or degrees ofneness or gauge. Thev usual and commercial form of steel Wool with whichthe public has heretofore been most familiar, comprises a'matted ortangled mass of such metallic fiber or strands, which are intermingledin an unsystematic, distort-. ed, and twisted relation. By improvedmethods of manufacture, which form no part of the present invention, ithas been made possible to produce such fibrous strands of extremely longlength and to assemble the output with such strands longitudinally dispoed in substantially parallel relation. While such strands may be moreor less intertwisted with each other, their general direction issubstantially the same. While the usual matted or tangled form of steelwool may be manufactured into a flexible fabric as herein described, bythe present method, the long strand material with its fiberssystematicall arranged, as before described, is to be pre erred. Themass of steel wool fibers,

preferably, as they leave the strippers or steel wool machines aredistributed and compressed by rollers or other suitable means into alayer or stratum of the required thickness as indicated at l in thedrawings. This mass or layer of metallic fiber of substantial l uniformthickness is then secured in preetermined form by transverse ties orstay strands 2. These strands 2 may be interwoven in the metallicfabric, of which they in effect form the woof While thefiber strands 1form the warp. A preferable method of applying the transverse tiestrands is to stitch the mat or layer 1 of steel wool in directionstrans-v versely of the general direction of the steel wool strands orfibers, using for such stitching purposes a light gauge soft flexiblewire. This stitchin may be in the form of ordinary sewing t rough fromone face of the mat or layer 1 to the other and then back again, but thepreferable method is by a lock stitch process wherein the tie strands atopposite sides of the mat of layer 1 are interconnected through such matat closely spaced intervals.

Such rows of stitching 2 may be located closely adjacent to each other,or more widely spaced as necessitated by conditions of use. The fibrousmetallic body thus bound together becomes a compact flexible fabricwhich will retain its shape, thickness and degree of compression ordensity while -in use. The fabric may be manufactured of various widthsor cut to different shapes both as to width and lengh to meet industrialrequirements. While reference is made to steel wool, this being thegeneric term as ordinarily used in the trade, it is to be understoodthat the material is not necessarily limited to fibers of steel, butother metals, more particularly varieties of bronze and othernon-corrosive alloys may be utilized, the term steel wool as hereinemployed being intended to cover materials of metallic fibrous characterof whatever metals having the general characteristics of steel wool.

In Fig. 3 there is shown a pressing buck 3, the top surface or coversheet 4 of canvas or similar material being torn away to expose therebeneath apressing pad 5 formed of the present metallic fabric. In thiscase the steel wool fabric serves to diffuse a superheated steamdischarged through such buck upon the garment being pressed. The presentmetallic fabric does not deteriorate under the influence of suchsuperheated steam as does padding of vegetable or animal origin. Eventhough steel is employed as the rea ers material from which the fibersare produced, when used for pressing purposes, as

shown in Fig. 3, it is not subject to rust or corrosion since the hightemperature at which it is maintained by the superheated steam beingpassed therethrough, serves to dry the metallic fabric and dissipate anymoisture before rust or corrosion can occur. While the fabric has beenillustratedas comparatively thin, it is obvious that it may be ofincreased thickness, and that the relative proportions of thickness towidth may be varied until the thickness and width are substantiallyequal, thus forming a belt or rope of steel wool strands longitudinallydisposed and held together by a transversely arranged hinder or tiestrand such as the strands 2. i

From the above description it will be apparent that there is thusprovided a construction of the character described possessing theparticular features of advantage before enumerated as desirable, butwhich obviously is susceptible of modification in its form, proportions,and arrangement of parts without departing from the principle involvedor sacrificing any of its advantages.

. While in order to comply with the statute Having thus described myinvention, I

claim:

1. A'pressing pad comprising a foraminous body of steel wool having itsstrands arranged in substantially parallel relation, tie strandsdisposed in parallel paths transversely to the steel wool strands andextend ing on opposite sides of the body with portions of said tiestrands interconnected through said body at spaced intervals confiningthe body in predetermined form, and a porous non-metallic covertherefor.

2. A'pad for a steam pressing machine buck comprising a layer of steelwool arranged with its fibers disposed systematically in. approximatelyparallel relation, and parallel rows of wire stitching disposedtransversely of the steel wool fibers binding the material into a mat ofsubstantially uniform thickness,.and a fabric cloth cover for the steelwool pad.

3. A buck for a steam pressing machine including a cover pad ofsteelwool, the fibers of which are systematically disposed and united byparallel rows of lock stitching dis- CHAS. E. GALVIN.

